The 2020 Best Small Firms to Work For: Pathways Consulting Group

Consulting Service Lines: IT

Pathways Consulting Group knows that a career is more than a job, it's a journey. It wants to help all of its people discover who they are, what they believe in, and what they value in a workplace, so that every day on the job they can be a little better than the day before.

The firm's emphasis on its people and its culture were one of the key factors to overcoming a year of unprecedented challenges, says Pathways Consulting Group Client Training and Communication Manager Tom Krivak.

"We've always ensured our culture stays at the forefront of what we do, whether that's establishing a relationship with a new client, during conversations with existing clients or, equally as important, when we speak with our own team. We've been including culture-specific items into our hiring and onboarding processes to ensure that our existing team stays happy and our new hires know what to expect and understand the culture that keeps our team around for the long term."

Culture can be difficult to maintain as a firm grows, but Pathways Consulting Group remains committed to preserving its uniquely open and collaborative work environment.

"We've been growing for the last few years, and what we've found is that no matter if we have 15 people or 150, we want to always our workplace atmosphere to be intimate and open. It all goes back to our motto: We listen, we care, we execute. What we're saying with that tagline is we strive for a perfect blend of both work and good interpersonal interactions, and that's still true today," Krivak says.

"Clients and employees need to feel comfortable talking candidly whenever there are complex challenges. No one wants to waste time on red tape and sugarcoating issues because we all care about executing the same goals — and about each other. Everyone can talk to management about anything at all, whether it's an idea to improve the company, or working through a thorny personal issue. That level of access to the owners of a company isn't something you find at most places."

When it comes to being named to Consulting magazine's 2020 Best Small Firms to Work For list, Krivak calls it a huge morale booster for the team.

"It's also a confirmation that every single member of our team cares about the work we do and the quality of product we deliver to our clients. Our clients sometimes tell us that they've read we made this list, and as if on cue, we'll chat about our culture or our latest nonprofit donation, or even just why we think Pathways is such a great place to work," he says.

"At the end of the day, I think people like to work with happy people, and to show that your team is happy AND successful is a massive boon to an organization and its clients."

Consulting: How would you describe morale at your firm and why?

Krivak: At the start of 2020, you could feel the electricity from virtually every member of our team leading up to our yearly meeting, where our management team reviewed our plans and the future state of our organization. We were on pace to break through our revenue goals and finally hire our 50th employee, which were major milestones for us. Unfortunately, a few short weeks afterward, COVID reared its head.

"However, in the months since then, we've continued to live up to our core values: Be exceptional. Be collaborative. We've broken through the 50-employee number and beaten our revenue predictions, even with a few months left in the year. Even though our meetings and day-to-day activities are done remotely, we're still working together as one cohesive unit and putting our collective best foot forward. Although the physical actions of work are a little bit different this year, our team is always pulling for one another and helping out whenever possible."